§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science up to what level of gross earnings a married man with four children aged 15, 13, 11 and 9 years is entitled to claim free school meals for his children, assuming mortgage repayments attracting tax relief of £200 per month, travel to work expenses of £70 a month, rates of £50 a month, superannuation of £10 a month, and that all the household income is earned by the father.
§ Miss Margaret Jackson£670 per month, but such a combination of personal circumstances seems most unlikely to be encountered in practice.
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science in what circumstances first-class rail travel is an allowable deduction for calculation of free school meals entitlement.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonNone that I am aware of. Since the regulations simply refer to "travelling expenses necessarily incurred," in the event of an application for free school meals being received in which relief for the cost of first class travel was claimed, it would fall to the local education authority concerned to decide, in the light of advice from my Department if it chose to seek it, whether the circumstances of the case justified allowing first class travel as a deduction.